


You’ll get that feeling deep inside your bones I’ll be gone then when you must be alone

by trying_to_spell_both_our_names_at_once



Series: Slip the face, slip the victory [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: A little, Adopted technically, Adoptive Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Angry TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Baby TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Basically just mentions of Techno and the whole voices demand blood thing, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hybrid TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), I'll stop rambling in the tags now sorry, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Non-Graphic Violence, POV Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Piglin Hybrid Tommyinnit, Problem Child Tommyinnit, Protective Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Wilbur Soot, So does Tommy :), Technoblade Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade Hears Voices (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Unhappy Ending, Wilbur Soot Angst, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wilbur gives me middle child who has to parents the youngest child vibes, You know that kid was an absolute pain to raise, and it kind of bitter about that, but still loves his family, but that comes into play more next story lol, for now, not a lot but it's mentioned more than once, vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28375338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trying_to_spell_both_our_names_at_once/pseuds/trying_to_spell_both_our_names_at_once
Summary: When Philza met two piglin hybrids deep in the bowels of the nether, he knew he had to do something about it. Sometimes he wishes he thought that decision through more.Raising two hybrids by himself was hard enough, adding another traveling orphan into the mix made everything just a bit more complicated. But Phil's doing his best. He promises himself that. And he wouldn't trade his little makeshift family for anything, even if it starts to crumble in front of his eyes....I got Piglin-Hybrid Tommy brain rot and this story came along with it
Relationships: Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Series: Slip the face, slip the victory [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078172
Comments: 27
Kudos: 870





	You’ll get that feeling deep inside your bones I’ll be gone then when you must be alone

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a story for me to explore the piglin-hybrid Tommy AU that's been rotting in my brain for ages and then it decided to become a story about Phil and his adventures of parenthood. I love Phil so much, but that dude swings wildly between being a really good parent and being a really shitty one lol.
> 
> Also, just finished watching the new stream and oh my god!! oh my god!! They are feeding us the good shit and I swear I almost cried like three times. Tubbo and Tommy reuniting (sorta) only to firmly establish themselves on other sides. Techno being protective of Tommy. Tommy standing up to Dream!! Ahhh!! I have so many new ideas for writing lol. Anyways, hope you enjoy the story lmao.
> 
> Warning for mentioned self harm and violent tendancies. I do dive into the idea of Techno's voices and how that impacts both him and Tommy, who also has it as another hybrid. So there is some very brief mentions of unintentional self harm and violence.

When Philza met two piglin hybrids deep in the bowels of the nether, he knew he had to do something about it. 

It was clear they had nowhere to go. Philza knew how Piglin’s worked, and hybrids were considered taboo to them and were immediately either killed or banished from their pack. So when he saw a kid maybe only eight years old holding a too big sword and standing protectively in front of what looked like a toddler he assumed the worst. 

The older one had scars littering his body, and despite his young age and size it was clear he knew his way around a sword. He was clearly half piglin, with tusks already growing in, hooves, and red beady eyes. The younger one couldn’t have been older than two years old, and for a second Phil wasn’t even sure if he was part Piglin or not. He looked like a normal human child with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes that peeked out curiously at Phil. 

If it wasn’t for the fact that the nether heat wasn’t bothering him and he was playing with a piece of gold, Phil would have assumed this random piglin hybrid kidnapped a baby from the overworld. 

But it wasn’t unheard of that hybrids can take after one of their parents more than the other. And Phil wasn’t really one to judge. 

He wasn’t in much of a position to do anything either way. He had stumbled onto their hideout by accident, searching for some ancient debris after he had been running a bit low. As soon as he saw them the older one had drawn a sword and stepped in front of the younger, snarling and grunting in a language Phil only had picked up a couple of words from but he could understand that the kid was threatening him. 

Phil immediately raised his hands in a placating gesture, quickly noting what seemed like a natural swordsman talent in the young hybrid. He tried to make himself as unalarming as possible, not reaching for any of his weapons or making an attempt to move forwards. 

“I’m not going to hurt you mate,” Phil said softly, but it appeared that neither of them knew what he was saying. The younger one stumbled to his feet and walked forwards, clutching onto the elders legs. The older one just grunted again, grip on his sword tightening. Phil got the message and back up some more before pausing. Food in the nether was scarce, and if they were hybrids they probably needed regular nutrition, especially the younger, who seemed more human than anything. 

He slowly reached into his bag, never once taking his eyes off the hybrid who snarls louder at the movement. Slowly he brought out a couple pieces of bread and gently placed them on the ground, kicking them towards the duo. Then he made his escape, carefully navigating his way back to his portal without turning his back to the pair. 

But not before carefully noting his coordinates and promising to himself to come back as soon as he could. 

_____________________________________

He had gone back daily for a week so far. The duo hadn’t moved, and it became apparent as to why on Phil’s second day. 

The second he notes the clearly broken arm of the older piglin he starts internally figuring out how to quickly get a healing and regen potion made. The day after while delivering the food he pushes a couple of potions across as well. 

The older piglins eyes meet his own and for a second Phil sees a flash of thankfulness. It’s a step closer when Phil comes back the next day to see the older boy doing better but still in the same place despite being able to move now. 

Everyday he makes sure to show up and leave a new type of food, be it some bread, meat, or potatoes. He starts bringing potatoes more often after seeing the older boy’s eye light up whenever he sees them in Phil’s hand. 

He still is unable to get closer than a couple of feet from them, and every time he tries the older one snarls and raises his sword once again. The younger one starts to laugh and smile every time Phil shows up. 

Two weeks since he first showed up and the older piglin was distracted when Phil showed up. Phil waited patiently, not wanting to startle him or move any closer to push his luck. For the first time it’s the younger hybrid that catches sight of him first, letting out a high pitched squeal before climbing to his feet and charging at Phil. 

For a moment everything goes still. The older hybrid noticed but was too late to reach the child before he was at Phil’s feet, grabbing onto his gold armor with bright eyes and grinning up at him. Phil found himself frozen, shocked and not sure how to go forwards from this. 

The older hybrid had his hand on his sword, panic clear in his eyes as he shifted, also unsure of what to do. The younger one was oblivious to the struggle in the air and smacked Phil’s armored leg once again. Phil carefully pulled out the food, a couple loafs of bread and some potatoes, and carefully handed them to the young boy, careful not to touch him. 

He knows that one wrong move, one gesture that could even be slightly interpreted as hostile and the older will charge and attack him. Phil really hopes that doesn’t happen. The younger grins up at him with happy eyes, and Phil smiles down at him. Then he remembered the extra gift he brought today. Reaching into his pocket he carefully pulled out a gold nugget he found lying around the house and placed it gently in the young boy’s hand. 

The child’s eyes widened, mouth hanging open as he stared at the gold with sparkling eyes. He grinned up at Phil, lurching forwards and wrapping his arms and the man’s legs before pulling back and stumbling to the older one, throwing the food on the ground in favour of raising up the gold piece to show off. 

The older one didn’t move, eyes still stuck on Phil, an uncertain look on his face. 

“I’m not going to hurt you or him,” Phil repeats despite knowing he doesn’t understand. He spoke slowly and quietly, trying not to startle him too much. “I’ll be back tomorrow okay? Enjoy the food.” 

For the first time since showing up Phil turned his back to the boy as he walked away. He was listening hard, because this was the opportunity to attack that the Piglin hybrid would jump at if he wanted to. But he didn’t. Phil walked away without any attacks at all. He smiled the whole way home. 

_______________________________________

Three months later and there was a steady trust built between the three of them. It was a slow process, one that included more than one setbacks and almost stabbings but had mostly been positive. Phil swung by pretty much every day with some food and occasionally something shiny. The older piglin slowly relaxed around him, to the point where he didn’t automatically reach for his sword every time Phil showed up. 

Once or twice Phil even took the time to sit down with them as they ate, speaking slowly and carefully to them even though they didn’t really understand. He gave them their space still, never getting overly close in case he spooked them. But he still sat with them, and slowly over the course of months they let down their guard. 

Communication was hard, Phil was attempting to pick up more of their language, but not a lot of Piglins were fond of humans and even fewer were willing to teach him anything or knew enough English to understand him. But they worked, and slowly but surely they learned to understand each other through a lot of slow words and drawing things in a pile of soul sand. 

Maybe they didn’t know exactly what they were saying, but Phil understood the younger one’s high-pitched squeals and rambling grunts to be a sign of happiness, and the elders grunts whenever Phil came to close to be warnings to stay away. 

Currently Phil was building onto his house, making two more rooms in addition to what he already had. Both of them were big enough to house two people though, because from what Phil could see they were always attached at the hip. He made sure the colors were dull like the nether and nothing was overly bright, and that the rooms were heavily insulated to keep a higher temperature. 

He wasn’t sure how to convince the two boys to come to the overworld with him, let alone live with him. But he knew he’d find a way. He just needed to be patient and work on the language barrier between them a bit more. 

The younger boy latched onto Phil easily, and never seemed to understand why the older always pulled him back whenever he tried to run to Phil’s side. In the toddler’s mind, Phil’s constant presence and provision of food meant he was a friend. The older one was still wary. 

He never let Phil get too close and growled if he made any sudden movements. It was clear that the boy had been fighting for his life for too long. The evidence of fights were clear on his skin but also in his familiarity with his sword. Phil knew the mistrust was fair and expected, but still, he wished it didn’t have to be like this. 

Six months since he first met the two boys and the older one saved his life. 

Phil had been heading back to his portal when a ghast had come up behind him, letting out a guttural cry and a fireball. Phil was a second too slow reacting, and it hit a few feet away, sending Phil flying before he landed hard on the ground, body flaring with pain and the heat from the ground

Phil never thought he’d be idiotic enough to die like this. The ghast’s first fireball had knocked the wind out of him and it was already gearing up for the next. He would have no time to react and block it. 

He braced for the pain, raising up an arm and flinching back as the heat got closer, but it never hit. 

Slowly Phil lowered his arm to see the hybrid standing over him, sword having blocked the blast and rebounding it to kill the large mob. Slowly, the older hybrid turned around, a wary look in his eyes but so much closer than Phil had ever seen him. 

Carefully, the boy reached out a hand for Phil to take. Phil did and the boy helped him stand back up to his feet. His hand was warm and rough, the hide scratching his skin. 

“Thank you,” Phil said genuinely, and the piglin grunted, lowering his head slightly in a show of respect before he turned and walked back where he came from. 

That was the day that Phil knew for sure that those boys would be his. 

______________________________________

It took a year of constant visits and slow trust building before Phil managed to convince the boys to come to the overworld with him. He isn’t really sure how it happened really, everything just a blur of split-second decisions and slow progress towards the portal. 

But here they were. Phil had managed to get them to his house and they both looked vaguely terrified and completely stressed out but they were there. 

The older hybrid held the child in his arms even though the kid was probably too big to be held by someone who wasn’t an adult. They were clutching onto each other, looking around with awe at the things they had never seen before. 

“Well,” Phil said, breaking the awkward silence as they stood in the middle of the living room. “Welcome! Are you guys hungry or do you want to go to bed?” 

It took them a minute to process what Phil said, and he waited patiently as the older one opened his mouth and carefully sounded out words foreign to his tongue. 

“Food?” He finally managed to get out, the words clunky but recognizable. Phil grinned widely at him and nodded, gesturing him to come take a seat at the table. While Phil rustled around the cupboards to scrape together a meal the older hybrid carefully peeled the toddler off of him and placed him on another chair. 

Phil took out some potatoes he made last night and offered them to the pair as an appetizer, watching as both boys eagerly dug in. While they did that he prepared a simple mushroom soup, carefully pouring a decent amount into both bowls and handing it to them. He thinks he’ll prepare a lot of hot meals for the next little while, especially with the two of them adjusting to the heat difference in the overworld. 

He’s lucky that it’s currently summer. He isn’t sure what he’ll do when winter comes but he hopes that he can figure something out to make it comfortable for them. 

They ate in silence, if you ignore the occasional babbling from the toddler that Phil didn’t understand and didn’t think was even comprehensible in any language. Eventually both boys got tired, the day long and stressful for all of them. Carefully Phil led them to the bedroom, showing the two separate ones but not in the least bit surprised when they both disappeared into the same one. 

The boys went to bed and Phil crawled into his own, a bit on edge having two hybrid kids in his house but otherwise content. He was fairly sure nothing bad would happen. 

__________________________________________

The biggest thing Phil needed with those two was patience and the willingness to provide his time no matter what. Luckily he wasn’t really in the middle of anything else, because those boys took up all of his time. 

Teaching them English was a constant battle. The youngest picked it up fairly easily, mostly because he was still at the point where he was developing language in the first place, and being around both languages was helping him develop both nicely with only a few mess ups. 

The older one was a different story in multiple ways. He threw himself into learning the language, spending hours or days at a time, staring at books Phil had and sounding out each word with Phil’s guidance, getting frustrated when it didn’t work but never giving up. His pronunciations were a bit weird and you could heavily hear the piglin accent to his words, but he was trying his best and Phil was proud of him. He made sure to make that clear. 

Luckily, he eventually got them to pick a name, which helped endlessly. Phil no longer had to refer to them as the older and younger hybrid in his mind. 

The older one took his time picking out a name, carefully searching through books and traveling through villages by Phil’s side to hear names. Eventually he picked ‘Technoblade’ which cemented Phil’s growing idea that the boy was secretly very dramatic. 

The younger one was easier. He took one look at the name ‘Tommy’ and refused to be called anything else. For at least a week that was the only word he would say, which varied from cute to annoying depending on the moment. 

So Tommy and Techno were now a permanent fixture in his life, and Phil couldn’t have been happier. He never really thought much about being a dad, especially with how busy his day to day lifestyle normally was, but now he couldn’t dream of anything else. 

That wasn’t to say it was easy. It was actually really hard most of the time. Techno got frustrated easily and his default when stressed or annoyed was the grab a sword and threaten whoever was closest, which added quite a few scars to Phil’s skin. 

The boy was probably only nine, but he could be stubborn as hell, and when he wanted something he got it. He spent most of his time training and hunting, and Phil had no choice but to follow him to make sure he didn’t get hurt. Techno gave him heart attacks constantly with close calls that made Phil want to rip out his hair. He was pretty sure he was going grey. 

On the other hand Tommy was exhausting. 

He was at the age where he threw temper tantrums almost constantly, and it didn’t take Phil very long to realize that although he didn’t look much like a piglin, he had the attitude to make up for it. When that kid got mad, he got _mad_. He would throw things, snarl and scratch at whatever was closest and it got to the point where Phil had to have a constant supply of sedatives on him because it was impossible to calm him down otherwise. And if he didn’t calm him down then Tommy would most likely hurt someone, and normally that person was himself. 

It was exhausting, and there was moments when Phil regretted taking them in at all. 

But then Techno would help him make dinner or bring some food home with a proud look in his eyes and he would light up whenever Phil gave him praise. Or Tommy would spend hours making him a picture or a sculpture and flap his hands when Phil placed it on display in the living room. Or when the three of them would curl up on the couch together and Phil would read them a story until they both fell asleep on his shoulder. 

It wasn’t long before Phil could call them all a family, and he didn’t regret a moment of it. 

____________________________________________

He found Wilbur traveling the streets with nothing but his clothes, a guitar and a few scraps of food he had stolen from a vendor. He knew that it was probably a bad idea to take him in but he didn’t really care either way. It had been almost three years since he managed to bribe Techno and Tommy home, and they had settled in decently well. 

Techno was now twelve and Tommy was six years old, and they were still both a handful and probably wouldn’t be too keen on Phil adopting another random teen, but Phil couldn’t just leave the kid out there to freeze to death or get eaten by mobs. 

So he offered the kid a home and warned him that he had two hybrids who may or may not like him very much. The kid was terrified, but Phil promised that nothing bad would happen to him. He really hoped nothing bad would happen to him. Phil developed a bit of a soft spot for the kid during the single day that he had met him.

Tommy took to him immediately. The six-year-old was a handful with endless energy and always finding some way to cause problems, and he took one look at Wilbur and decided that he would be staying. Techno was a bit more resistant to it, spending the first few weeks glaring Wilbur down at every opportunity and shutting down any conversation the other boy tried to initiate. 

It took three months for them to fall into an easy truce. Phil isn’t overly sure what happened, but the two of them disappeared for a day and came back once the sun was setting with soft smiles on their face. Later that night Phil went to check on the kids and found Wilbur gently strumming a song as Techno sat beside him, a book open in his lap. The two of them sat in relative silence, only broken when Techno muttered his liking of a chord or when Wilbur asked how the book was going. 

From that moment on, their little family was a team. Sure there was arguments, especially with Tommy and Techno’s anger issues and general clash of raising a bunch of kids together, but mostly they got along. Techno was more of a lone wolf, although Wilbur tended to get him to come out of his shell more often than anyone else. Tommy was a problem child and him and Wilbur were almost inseparable, Tommy looking up to him for any type of influence or decision making. Phil just made sure they didn’t die. 

As the years went on, Tommy and Techno drifted apart. The closeness they had as children was pretty much gone, a result of Tommy growing up and Techno feeling safer in his situation. They were still close, but not in the way they used to be. Tommy looked up to Techno and often begged him for fighting lessons, and half the time the younger boy would constantly be at the elder's heels, annoying him and chatting as fast as he could. As soon as Tommy properly learned how to talk it seemed like there was no off button. 

It wasn’t rare for Phil to find them sitting in Techno’s room, the two of them huddled together and talking in their native tongue, making sure that they didn’t lose the ability as time went on. Phil was glad to see them coming together in that sense, especially as time got on and the difference between the two hybrids became clear. 

Wilbur fit into their dynamic perfectly, acting as a bit of a mediator between the two. Not as crazy as Tommy so he was able to sit and have calm conversations with Techno, but also mischievous enough that Tommy and him got up to enough trouble. 

Phil never wanted a family. But now that he had one, he knew that this was where he was always meant to be. 

_________________________________________

“Wil I thought Tommy was supposed to be the pyromaniac,” Phil said, standing in their kitchen doorway and surprising a smile when Wilbur jumped at his voice, turning around guiltily. The twelve-year-old smiled awkwardly at him, a small blush curling up his cheeks as he set in front of the smoldering wooden bowl. 

“I made you breakfast?” Wilbur asked, waving a hand at the questionably looking food. “Surprise?” 

“That bowl is still on fire mate,” Phil said helpfully, and Wilbur turned carefully grabbing the edge and tossing it into the sink before spraying it with water until all that was left of the fire was the smell of smoke clinging to the air. “You don’t know how to cook do you?” 

Phil was normally the one to do the cooking around the house. Techno could, but found it boring and normally only made bland dishes that were overly healthy, and Tommy had no working braincells when it came to food. Turns out Wilbur didn’t either. 

“No,” Wilbur sighed. “I thought I’d be a sweet thing to do cause it’s been exactly a year since you took me in, but that was an oversight to the plan.” 

Phil let out a laugh, shaking his head and walking over to his sons’ side, taking a look at the charred egg and bread sandwich sitting on the counter. It was horribly burnt and was barely recognizable. 

“Do you want me to teach you?” Phil asked, turning his head to the young boy. 

“Well that kind of ruins the whole idea of me making you things."

“But you’d know how to do it for next time!” Phil encouraged. “And it’ll be fun bonding time! We can make dinner together too, that’s a lot more fun than breakfast. And you’d get to brag to your brothers about it too.”

“Oh yeah, Tommy will be so jealous,” Wilbur rolls his eyes. “He’ll probably make fun of me for wanting to do something so lame.” 

“You know he’d secretly attempt to learn to impress us both,” Phil snorted. “He’d fail, but it’s the thought that counts with that kid. So come on buddy, what do you say? Want to learn how to make a grilled cheese?” 

“A grilled cheese?” Wilbur repeated, voice amused. “Not very breakfast-y.” 

“Anything can be breakfast if you eat it in the morning,” Phil said cheerfully. “Come on, I’ll butter the bread if you grate the cheese.” 

Wilbur rolled his eyes but moved to comply, bouncing on his heels as he stood to grate the cheese, the two of them talking cheerfully as Phil carefully taught him the best ways to make it. Lecturing him on the fact that the ingredients didn’t make the meal but the techniques did. You could have the most expensive materials around, but if you didn’t know how to properly melt the cheese your sandwich would be complete shit. 

Techno and Tommy eventually stumbled downstairs as well, both of them mocking Wilbur for his attempts at cooking, but Wilbur’s eyes shined whenever he looked at Phil, and Phil thinks that it was probably the best morning he has had in ages.

________________________________________ 

Around the time that Wilbur showed up, Techno decided he wanted to see more of the world. It had been a year since Wilbur settled in before Phil decided that it was safe enough to leave him at home with Tommy, and two years until Techno had enough stalling and threatened to go on his own if Phil wasn’t going to join him.

Techno was insistent on the whole going off and traveling the lands outside of their general area, and Phil knew there was no way to stop him. But that doesn’t mean he wants a fourteen-year-old to be out on his own, no matter how competent that fourteen-year-old was. 

Techno was good with a blade and even better at surviving, but he’s also still a literal child that Phil was taking care of. He couldn’t leave him on his own. 

He wasn’t keen on letting the other fourteen-year-old stay home with his eight-year-old, but Wilbur had proven himself to be fairly responsible when he wanted to be. 

And although Phil hated admitting it to himself, he missed the adventure. He missed going out and seeing the world, making new things and fighting and spilling blood. His domestic life was nice and he loved all of his kids more than anything, but there was always an itch that needed to be scratched that he couldn’t get by calmly settling down. 

Taking Techno and teaching him how to survive and explore would be a nice way to settle both those needs. So they packed enough for a couple of months and set off on their way, hugging Tommy and Wilbur tight and telling them not to get into much trouble. 

Techno and him wandered for what felt like ages. Phil taught him some of the best survival methods depending on the biome and what animals were the best to hunt for both food and other useful supplies. They traveled from village to village, taking on basic tasks to gather money and helping them with whatever problems they might have. 

With his son by his side they hunted down and defeated any pestering mobs, survived in the harshest climates, and grew closer as time went on. They celebrated Techno’s birthday deep in the tundra, with howling winds blowing around them and a pathetic looking cake Phil had thrown together with their basic supplies. 

Phil told Techno stories about his travels around the world and in exchange Techno told him more about what it was like in the Nether, what the voices told him and how it affected him. 

"They never go away," Techno told him, staring out into the distance. "They constantly scream and beg. It's not always bad stuff, sometimes it's helpful, telling me to protect something or investigate something that feels wrong. But mostly they just ask for blood. Constantly chanting the need for it in my ear." 

"I'm sorry mate," Phil says softly, reaching over and gently placing a hand on Techno's arm. For the first time in a while Techno does not pull away from it, Phil resists the urge to smile. "That sounds horrible." 

"I learned that if I gave them what they wanted they shut up you know?" Techno continues, shrugging. "If I give them the blood they stop talking and normally they only tell me to kill people that have the potential to hurt me, so it's useful in that way. And I mean, I think I like it too. Maybe that's just the whole hybrid instincts talking, but the bloodshed doesn't bother me much, I kind of like it, the rush it gives me. I know it should make me scared and that its disgusting not to be but-"

"Techno," Phil said gently, stopping his sons rambling. "You're not disgusting. Theres nothing wrong with you. You have your morals and your instincts, and there's nothing wrong with following them. Okay? You're not a monster for that."

"I only hurt people who are threats," Techno insisted, but he settled back a little at Phil's words. "Only threats." 

Phil doesn't mention that Techno seems to think that everyone is a threat to him, instead humming softly and reaching into his bag to pull out some extra sweets. Although he'd never admit to it, Techno had one hell of a sweet tooth. They spent the rest of the night in silence, calmly enjoying each others company. 

They returned home after ten months of traveling, his house surprisingly not burnt to the ground and Tommy just as energetic as always. Phil ignored the way Wilbur’s heavy eyes watched his every move, his middle child not as open or welcoming as he used to be. 

Phil knew why. He pretended not to. 

Because he didn’t want to admit that maybe it wasn’t a good idea to practically abandon his two youngest kids to go off for months on end without any communication. That maybe while appeasing to Techno’s needs he pushed down and ignored Wilbur’s own. 

He made a point over the next couple of months to be there for Wilbur best he could, but the dynamic between them had already shifted. Wilbur had become used to mostly taking care of Tommy on his own, making the meals and helping Tommy with any problem that he had. Phil barely had to do anything for them anymore. 

He wanted to complain, wanted to feel sad and annoyed that his two children seemed off in their own world half the time and refused to talk to him about anything overly important or share really anything about their days with him. Wilbur no longer came to him for advice on a new song or to talk about his adventures with some of the village children. Tommy no longer ran to him to show him the new creation he managed to make out of crudely fashioned stone or to ask for his opinion on some odd plot he created. They went to each other now. 

Phil knew it was no one’s fault but his own, and he knew that he could try his best to fix what he had now, but it wouldn’t put aside the fact that he hadn’t been the best father to them. 

He did try his best, provided for them more, made a point to talk to them and ask how they were and to check up with them. But they were on a separate wavelength than him now, and sometimes it’s easier to pretend that they weren’t. 

The time they now spent with each other gave Phil more time to himself, and in order to distract himself from the guilt eating him away he spent more time with Techno, training with him and teaching him lessons. Techno was always a bit of a loner, not like Tommy or Wilbur who were both naturally charismatic. If Phil left him to his own devices he would never talk to anyone ever again. Techno needed him and Phil had the time to dedicate to him. 

That’s what he told himself whenever he felt guilty about spending more time with his oldest than his other two kids, when he realized that Wilbur was raising Tommy better than Phil ever had and that sometimes it felt like they were breaking apart from the family piece by piece. 

He was helping Techno. The hybrid needed support and Phil was the only person he trusted more than anything. He shouldn’t feel bad about providing for his son. That’s what he told himself when Techno and him went off on another trip a year or so later, the same for the next trip they took and so on. 

And he didn’t feel bad, not really. Maybe that’s what made him a failed parent. 

He swore to himself that he’d try harder.

_____________________________________________

Phil had a problem, and he wasn’t overly sure how to address it. 

Tommy kept getting into trouble. It was something Phil knew was going to happen but wasn’t quite ready to accept yet. 

Techno clearly was a hybrid, with his tusks, eyes, fangs, and mostly piglike features it was hard not to single him out as half piglin. He got his aggression out in somewhat healthy ways, going on nightly patrols for mobs and hunting for food during the day and dedicating himself wholeheartedly to any task he completed. That wasn’t to say it was perfect. Phil knew all about the voices in Techno’s head that sometimes got overwhelming with their constant pleas for blood. It wasn’t rare for Techno to lose control, but Phil always did his best to be there and reel him back. 

Instincts were a hard thing to deal with, especially as a hybrid living in a human society. Techno understood from a young age the looks of fear and disgust that he got, and he had accepted it. He knew he would never fully fit in, so he did his best to make sure to never loose control if it wasn’t needed. He did his best to improve himself and become needed in a world that didn't want him. It took years, and puberty was a particularly rough spot, but Techno learned how to control the blood lust and rage. How to use it to his advantage. Techno learned how to make the voices work for him in the same way he worked for the voices.

Tommy on the other hand, couldn’t. Where Techno was a perfect half of both his parents, the balance in Tommy’s genetics were a bit screwed. He looked human, no sign of any piglin traits when it came to his physical stuff. But it was overcompensated in his attitude. 

It started with the possessiveness. From the beginning Tommy loved shiny things, and for the most part it was quite endearing. Bring Tommy back a shiny piece of gold or a chunk of silver and he would carry it around with him everywhere. Tommy got overly attached to everything he had, which was fine as a kid, but now that he was getting older it was a little more unbearable. If you needed to borrow something that Tommy had claimed as his own it was a constant fight that would most likely end with Tommy barricading himself and the object in his room and refusing to come out for hours. Even attempt to take anything of his away and he would snap and practically be willing to throw down to protect it. Which was annoying, but manageable for the most part. The problem came with the anger issues.

Tommy would snap at the littlest things, snarling angry at even the littlest sign of aggression. If something went wrong in any way he would snap, screaming and yelling and on the worst days hitting things. He got into fights in the villages near them, often coming home with split lips and a crazed spark in his eyes. The day Tommy discovered fire was a bad one for the surrounding forest. Phil doesn’t think he’s even been as shocked as the day he came back from hunting to find Tommy in a burning forest fire, arms spread wide as he laughed and spun around with embers roasting in his hair. 

It was beginning to become a problem, the kid almost impossible to talk to or deal with. Things kept on going missing and Tommy was pulling more pranks that were less endearing and more malicious. Tommy was only eleven at this point, and if it was this much of an issue now, Phil wasn’t looking forwards to the coming years. 

When Techno lost control all it took was a couple minutes of Phil’s soothing talking to get him to come down. When Tommy bubbled over, it was like all hell broke loose. He would fight tooth and nail against anyone who was near him. The voices in his head seemed ten times louder and more insistent than Techno’s to the point where it was like Tommy couldn’t hear anything over the calls for blood and violence. 

The largest problem came down to the fact that Tommy hated hurting his family. Due to his increased Piglin instincts he had a pretty heightened sense of possessiveness and loyalty, and refused to even think about hurting anyone in his family. So when the voices called for blood and the only option was his brothers or Phil, he turned instead to himself. 

Phil remembers one night when it got particularly bad and Phil had found Tommy screaming in his room, body drenched in his own blood as he clawed at open skin. That’s when Phil decided to start carrying sedatives on him, since it was the only way to calm Tommy down. When he got into a frenzy like that even stepping close to him would end up with a lanky enraged teenager trying to claw your eyes out.

Attacks like that were happening more frequently, when Tommy got so upset that it was like he wasn’t in control of his body. Tommy had explained it once as a red haze that blanketed over everything until all he could hear and focus on was the call for blood and violence. Phil had just held him, unsure of how to respond or what to do.

It was Wilbur who came up with a plan, to which Phil was endlessly thankful for, since he was at a bit of a loss. 

It started at the dinner table one night, when Wilbur and Tommy were exchanging banter that turned a bit too sharp. Wilbur attacking just a bit too deep and Tommy had already been fairly impatient and on edge all day. Phil had tensed, thinking that Tommy was going to blow up like he always did, but he didn’t. Instead they just traded back verbal barbs, and when Phil looked over both of them were holding back grins. Wilbur caught his eye and winked. 

Then Wilbur taught him swear words, and Phil almost throttled both of them. 

“He needs an outlet,” Wilbur told him one night while Phil was cleaning up for dinner. He had jumped, thinking all the boys to be in bed. 

“What?” Phil asked, putting down the bowl and turning to his kid. Wilbur was lanky at this point, already taller than Phil. He took up most of the doorway. 

“Tommy,” Wilbur said, shrugging. “He has a lot of aggression and energy built up inside of him but nowhere to put it. That’s why it bubbles over so often. You gotta give him ways to get rid of it. He said talking helps. Swearing helps even more, since I think it feeds on negative energy the most. That why he gets into fights and pulls pranks too.”

“That, actually kind of makes sense,” Phil blinked, wondering why he hadn’t thought of that before. 

“So we just gotta teach him ways to get out that energy in less destructive ways. Let him have his pranks, let him have his mischievous ploys and his swearing. Maybe let him run around more. And hopefully he’ll learn how to regulate it so he gets in less fights, destroys things less,” Wilbur looks at the ground, a small smile on his face. “He’s a problem child, but he’ll be a bit less of one.”

And that’s exactly what they did. Tommy talked louder and more often, swearing colorfully and often enough that sometimes Phil refused to be in public around him. He pulled more harmless pranks, and was often seen running around for some reason or another. He got into stealing, and as much as Phil hated it, he didn’t tell Tommy to stop, only forced him to return the stuff as soon as he noticed the stolen goods. 

Once Tommy got older he learned to regulate it in the same way that Techno did. He would try to constantly keep moving, always getting into some sort of trouble or always doing some sort of project to keep him busy. He seemed like a lot to everyone who knew him, but in reality it was really just Tommy regulating and controlling his energy levels, silencing the voices by letting them have a tiny bit of free reign in all of his actions. And if he needed some more when he was hunting or fighting mobs, he would let go of just a little bit of that energy. Phil always knew when it happened, when he could see Tommy’s gaze grow sharper, become just a little more protective and possessive, fighting with just a little more cunning than he normally did. 

He still gave Phil heart attacks all the time, since one of the ways he let out energy was by throwing himself into stupid situations that normally led to him getting hurt in some ways. Phil spent many nights constantly patching him up and healing broken bones. Wilbur spent more. Techno only stepped in for the large ones, since Tommy listened to him the most when he told him he was being an idiot and needed to stop. 

But it was better than it was before, when Tommy was constantly falling into attacks and hurting himself or those around him. When he could barely hold a conversation without it turning into a fight. When he was so possessive over his things that simply touching one would result in a snarling teenager punching you as hard as he could. 

Things got better, and their family was stronger than ever before. 

________________________________________

“Dad!” Tommy screamed, nearly giving Phil a heart attack from where he was sitting at the crafting table, making Wilbur a new set of tools. “Phil! Holy shit!” 

“What’s up buddy?” Phil asked, turning to see Tommy skid to a stop in the entrance of their house, cupping something in his hand. “What do you got?” 

“I found it on the path to the village,” Tommy said, rushing through his words as he stumbled forwards, eyes glues to the object in his hand. When he got closer Phil could see a little bird curled up in his palm. “It’s wing’s broken and it was crying out. Had a bunch of blood and shit in his feathers that I had to wash off. Can we help it?” 

Phil reached out, carefully running a finger through the broken feathers, frowning at the snapped wing. The birds eyes were half lidded and it barely even protested when Phil touched it. 

“Tommy-“ Phil sighed. 

“I’ll take care of it,” Tommy cuts him off. “He can stay in my room and I’ll take total responsibility for it. I’ll feed it whatever the fuck birds eat and I’ll water it and monitor his healing and all that shit. You won't even need to worry about it, but I might need you to help me get it a sling? That’s what you do with broken arms and it’s practically the same thing right? So we need a sling and some food and we can heal this bitch up.” 

Phil doesn’t know how to tell his son that the bird most likely was not going to make it through the night. If he was smart he’d take the bird and put it out of its misery before it has to suffer more. But Tommy was staring down at it with such bright hopeful eyes, cupping it gentler than Phil had ever seen the young boy hold anything. 

Who was he to shatter Tommy’s dream? He couldn’t tell the kid the truth, which meant that Phil would have to do everything in his power to save this little bird. 

“Alright buddy,” Phil sighed. “Let’s make a game plan for this thing.”

“Really?” Tommy looked up to him in shock, a smile pulling on his lips. “Fuck yeah! I didn’t actually think you’d let me! Oh this is going to be so cool. Just you wait Phil, soon this thing will be as good as new and it will be forever in my debt. I’m naming him Chad.” 

Phil let out a laugh, standing up and putting a hand on Tommy’s shoulder to guide him back outside. 

The first thing they did was get a small box and stuff it with grass and leaves, creating a soft small area for the animal to rest so that Tommy could get his hands free. Once Chad was resting gently in the makeshift nest, Phil set to work making an extremely small sling for it while Tommy ran around gathering food and water and bugging Techno until he made him a healing potion. 

“You have to be gentle Tommy,” Phil told him, carefully guiding the teens hand towards the bird’s beak. They had found a tiny little squeeze bottle to feed it the potion and water, carefully squeezing small amounts into its mouth and letting it drink it. 

“I am being fucking gentle,” Tommy muttered, his face screwed into a look of concentration. And he was right, Phil doesn’t think he’s ever seen Tommy be this gentle with anything ever. The young boys’ hands were steady as he carefully fed and watered the young bird, the other one gently gripping the bird’s body to keep it steady. 

Phil felt a spark of pride run through him. 

“That’s all we can do for now,” Phil tells him a couple minutes later once the wing has been slung and Chad had been fed. “We can keep him outside and check on him tomorrow.” 

“What? No!” Tommy protested, looking up at Phil with wide eyes. “He’s staying with me! If we leave him out here he’ll be eaten by mobs or some shit like that. I can’t let this fucker die after I went through all this trouble to save him.” 

“You want to keep him in your room then?”

“Hell yeah!” Tommy cried out, bouncing a bit before starting to rock back and forth on his heels, a habit he picked up from Wilbur. “Until he starts chirping. Then I’ll throw him out of a window.” 

“Alright buddy,” Phil said, unable to resist leaning forwards and ruffling his blonde hair. Tommy let out a startled yell and slapped the hand away, before picking up the little box and racing from the room. 

A second later he came back in, sliding a bit on the wood floors. 

“And uh, thanks I guess, for the help,” Tommy said awkwardly, before darting from the room again. Phil shook his head fondly before walking back to the crafting table, ready to start on his work again. 

Chad lived another three days before he passed away in the middle of the night. Tommy spent pretty much all of those days taking care of him, gently feeding and watering him, petting his feathers and telling him stories to keep him entertained. He was miserable when he died, and Wilbur spent hours coaxing him out of his room to eat. Even Techno stuck by his side for the next few days, putting up with a lot more of Tommy’s shit in order to make him feel better. 

They buried Chad behind the house and surrounded it with flowers. Every now and then Phil will see Tommy go out there and place a couple of flowers on the tiny grave. And when Wilbur and Techno went away for their day trips Tommy took to talking to the little grave to feel less lonely. 

Phil makes sure to get Tommy a pet bird a year later, and the chaos those two brought almost was enough to make Phil regret it, but whenever he saw the smile on Tommy’s face he knew it was well worth it.

_______________________________________

Techno was twenty years old and had been gone for weeks. 

Phil hadn’t been worried, the hybrid was always a bit of a lone wolf, and when he hit eighteen years old he decided that he didn’t need Phil to accompany him on all his trips anymore and started making them alone. He always came back though, that was the thing about Techno. He might leave and he might seem like he didn’t care, but in the end he always came back, and that was enough. 

When asked, Phil would say that he loved all of his children equally and that they all hold a special place in his heart. Which was the truth. But his favourite was also Techno. 

It probably had something to do with the trust built over the years when they first met. Tommy was there too, but he was a literal baby who trusted anything that moved. Phil had to put in the effort with Techno, to gain his trust, to teach him how to talk and read, to teach him how to properly fight better than he already could. Then there were the trips they took, how Phil felt more comfortable talking to Techno about his past actions and how Techno felt safe opening up to him about everything going on in his head.

Wilbur came to them as a teenager, and while Phil loved him just as much as the others, he didn’t raise him from the ground up like he did with Techno. He didn’t even really do that with Tommy if he was being honest. Sure he got Tommy as a little kid and was there throughout his entire life, but when Wilbur came along Phil was a bit ashamed to admit that he took over most of raising both himself and Tommy. 

Phil never claimed to be a perfect dad, he knew he wasn’t. He was often gone and wasn’t really sure how to properly raise children, which led to many mistakes. But he did his best, and he tried to always be there when they needed him.

It wasn’t his fault that for the longest time, Techno was the one who needed him the most. 

So yeah, he probably had a stronger bond with Techno than the others. It helped that Techno tended to be the most mature and that led to them going on many hunting trips or traveling together whenever they needed supplies. So when Techno went away for long times, Phil was a bit lonely. 

But it was fine. He did have two other children to take care of. Not that Wilbur was a child anymore, being only a tiny bit younger than Techno. But Wilbur tended to be home more often, mostly because he didn’t have the same sense of adventure as Techno and Tommy always complained when both of them left him alone at home. It was nice to have him home to help out around the house though, since Tommy often didn’t. He helped when needed, but mostly was just gone off to cause trouble. 

When Phil opened a letter from Techno saying he would be home within a day, Phil was overjoyed. He informed the other boys, who were in the living room plucking away at instruments, and both of them gave half hearted replies. He knew they were happy, just a bit distracted. 

This trip had probably been the longest Techno had taken yet, having been gone for almost six months now. Phil isn’t sure what he was doing, but he knew Techno would probably have lots of good new stories to share. 

He was right. 

Techno came in the next day with his pack swinging by his side and a royal looking cape around his shoulders. 

“That’s nice,” Phil pointed it out after their initial hellos. “Where did you get it from?” 

“I toppled a government and killed the king, so I stole his cape,” Techno shrugged, and Phil just blinked. 

“That’s nice,” He finally said, shrugging and going on with his day. Some anarchy never hurt anyone; it wasn’t like Phil had never done the same in the past. 

They continued on with their night. Tommy practically attached himself to Techno, talking his ear off and pulling on his cape until Techno threatened to kill him, which only spurred Tommy on more. Wilbur sat to the side, grinning at their antics and expertly poking the fire whenever it calmed down a little. Phil say back and laughed with them. All of his boys were back and healthy. It felt like home again. 

________________________________________________

Wilbur and Tommy decided to leave one day. Or well, Wilbur decided to leave and Tommy bugged him until he let him join. 

Phil knew it had to happen at some point, when all of kids left the house to go do their own thing, but he never expected it to happen so soon. Tommy was barely even sixteen at this point, and although he hadn’t had an attack in years the thought of him just leaving made Phil stress. 

But there was no stopping those two when they got an idea, and who was Phil to tell them no? Especially since Techno had been coming and going for years. Phil’s eldest had been off living elsewhere for a year now. So he hugged the last of his children goodbye, slipping Wilbur some sedatives just in case, and sent them on his way. 

And then he was alone. 

After almost thirteen years of constantly raising a group of kids, he didn’t know what to do now that he had no one else to look out for. Eventually, he decided to go join Techno in his Antarctic Empire, and things had some sort of normalcy there. 

Phil wasn’t sure how Techno tolerated the cold, but the hybrid dealt with it a lot between than Phil did. They settled into a routine, working together and doing whatever they wanted side by side because together they learned that not a lot could stop them. Techno had changed in his years away, more cynical and hostile, fierce and terrifying to his enemies. But still his son. Nothing would change that. They got letters from Tommy and Wilbur occasionally, talking about nations they built and wars they started fighting in. 

Somehow Phil isn’t the least bit surprised that less than a year after letting Tommy and Wilbur loose into the world they managed to start a war. 

Life is normal until Tommy sends Techno a letter begging him for help and the hybrid runs off almost immediately. He might pretend not to care for his youngest brother, but Phil knew that the bond they had as kids hadn’t grown any weaker, just manifested in its own way. Phil’s just glad that most of his family is together again, even if he wasn’t with them. He wanted to see his family again, but he didn’t want to show up if none of them wanted him there.

It isn’t until he is called to help as well when he learns just how haywire his family had gone. When he learns that somewhere along the line everything shattered and fell apart when he wasn’t watching. It wasn’t until he watches Wilbur, sweet rational Wilbur who loved everything so passionately, blow up the place he built with no care to the damage he did that he realizes that his little family had been torn apart without him even realizing it. It isn’t until he stabs a sword through Wilbur’s stomach, hears Tommy’s anguished screams, and watches Techno spawn a bunch of Withers to kill everything else, that he realizes that maybe he can’t piece this together. 

But he would try anyways, despite the blood on his hands, the look of hatred and anger in Tommy’s too young eyes, and Techno’s laugh echoing in his hear.

**Author's Note:**

> This ends really abruptly but I honestly couldn't think of anything else to put lol. I haven't actually watched SMP Earth so I'm only aware of the whole Arctic Empire thing as a concept and so I tweaked it a bit to fit my story more lol. Also, in regards to the stream tonight, who else is rooting for Tubbo to just snap?? Like I love Tommy and understand why he's doing it, but their entire interaction was just him talking over Tubbo and not letting him get a word in, which is exactly what everyone else is doing. I can't wait for the day Tubbo finally just snaps and stands up for himself and forces himself to be heard. He deserves it lol. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed! This is probably going to be either a three or four-part series, with the next one being from Tommy's POV where most of the plot takes place and stuff like that. Thank you all so much for reading and feel free to leave a comment! I love interacting with you guys :)


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